Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Taraxacum officinale
Common dandelion
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA PlantsITISThe Plant ListIPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNAUSDA PlantsBONAPBISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

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F
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M
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A
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M
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J
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J
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A
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S
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O
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N
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D
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Europe

Species Description

General: Dicot-herb, perennial

Roots: primary

Shoots: basal leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Pinnate leaf venation; oblong, ovate leaf shape

Inflorescence: head

Flowers: perfect; 5 merous; complete, irregular; yellow; epigynous ovary position

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed in lawns, gardens, dwellings, meadows, along roads and railroads.

ILPIN Notes: Achenes are greenish-brown. Young leaves are excellent spring greens; best boiled and served like spinach; also used fresh in tossed salads. Roots are bitter, used as a mild laxative and tonic. Coffee additive; roots are eaten cooked. It is one of the most abundant weeds. It was naturalized from Europe.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators: insect
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae: endomycorrhizal
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State:
  • Chicago Area:

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